Journey to Paris

My name is Dennis (Chan Min), and I am from Seoul, South Korea. I have had invaluable experiences at Westtown School thus far and now very excited about my Senior Project.

My Senior Project will be an engagement with French culture and language through a French exchange program. I will be taking classes at Westtown’s sister school in Paris, Notre Dame des Missions. I will be studying European and French history and exploring historical sites. While I study Mandarin Chinese as my third language, I deliberately chose Paris as a place for new exploration because it is a historically rich city in arts, music, and European culture.

This has been my fourth year in the United States. Had I not come to this country, my life now would have been very different; I would be studying and memorizing figures and facts for college admission tests and school exams. Being at Westtown School, however, has helped me to discover my talents and maximize my potential. Quakers have a saying about “the calling out of gifts”, and that has been my experience in and outside of the classroom. The fulfillment that has come from interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, engaging in culture-crossing activities, and sharing my musical and interpersonal skills with people in my community, has taught me the two essential lessons: who I am and how I want to live my life. These discoveries have become fundamental to my understanding of the world. The way I see the world now is no longer myopic. I can truly think from a global perspective and see beyond my immediate experience to the world community. I hope to further maximize my potential this winter through my Senior Project. I am confident that new people I will meet in Paris and new challenges I will face through my project will not only add another layer to my understanding of the world community, but also help me to discover my passionate interests in world affairs and fulfill my cherished dream of becoming an ambassador and a respected politician in my country.

I am very excited about my trip to France. You are welcome to stay tuned in on my journey. I hope to learn more about the world around me and to share my learning with you through this blog for the next few weeks.

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2 thoughts on “Journey to Paris”

Sonya Ohlsson

Hey Dennis, This sounds like a fun trip. I love Paris and have been several times and really miss it. I look forward to reading about your experiences! Hope you are doing well and enjoying your senior year. Let me know how your college search/decisions are going!!!
–T.(formerly) Sonya

First of all, I am so sorry about my late reply, but thank you for your comment! I am in Paris now and having a great time here. I applied to Yale for Early Action, but my application was deferred. Now I am waiting for other college decisions to be released! I miss you very much and hoep to get in touch with you soon again.